Need a ‘boring’ Elon Musk flamethrower? Looks like you’re too late

Tesla founder Elon Musk's The Boring Company sold out of 20,000 flamethrowers earlier this month. Musk's Boring flamethrower, though, only has range of less than 10 feet, significantly shorter than this World War II model. (Lance Cpl. Chelsea Anderson/Marine Corps)

If you were hoping to buy your very own flamethrower to “liven up any party,” you might be out of luck. Well, you are out of luck if you were hoping to buy one from Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Musk announced earlier this month that he stopped taking orders on the $500 flamethrower after 20,000 were sold, CNN reports. The money raised from the sales would be used to help finance Musk’s The Boring Company, the goal of which is to create underground tunnels to ease city congestion.

Why would the average person need a civilian version of a flamethrower?

Well, Musk argued that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is cool with a “flame shorter than 10 ft” and really is just for fun. “Much like a roller coaster, this is designed to be thrilling without danger,” a Boring Company spokesperson told CNET.

Yup, a fun flamethrower ... hmmm, actually it might be fun.

But if you’re thinking that you could make your own, the one thing you should do is consult a lawyer to make sure you don’t run afoul of any laws. And here’s some examples of what you shouldn’t do: